In weird case, Himachal man stakes claim to Shimla-Dharamshala highway land, blocks it with stones, cot and wheelcart

The Newz Radar

BILASPUR: The Shimla-Dharamshala National highway has again been blocked near Mangrot in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh by a man who claims that a portion of the land belongs to him.The man, Rajakanth, has planted stones, wheelcart and a wooden cot on one lane of the highway, thus closing the traffic on that portion.

Rajankant claims that he had several times asked the local administration to return his land, but to no avail. “I have been forced to take possession of the land in this manner. The local administration refuses to cooperate. Whenever demarcation is done, the land in question,” he said.

While one lane on the highway has been blocked for traffic, vehicles have been moving as a routine on the other. However, at times small traffic jams occur on the stretch.

Rajankant maintains that eight biswas of land on the highway belongs to him, but the government was not returning it or providing him some compensation. He has disrupted traffic on the highway several times in the past too.